Barefoot in the Head

Brian Aldiss Barefoot in the Head (1969)
This was probably a lousy choice immediately following Lanark, but never mind. Barefoot in the Head very much reflects its time in describing the aftermath of the Acid Wars, a sort of psychedelic apocalypse in which Colin Charteris - our main character, and yes, he named himself after the author of his favourite series of spy novels - undergoes a particularly weird hero journey to emerge as the new Messiah. Its composition suggests that Brian took his research very, very seriously.

'Breathing the old west dust and breathing out the old west dust. No. That old ethic-ethnic LSD has automated us two thousand years and now the fracture there's been a mislocation so let's jump it from the steamcross and say for ever farewell to that crazy nailedup propheteer. Look girl I don't refuse to go your way or refuse to go Laundrei's way or refuse to go Cass's way or refuse to go any way. I refuse to hit the worn-out Creased or anti-creased way. For me new tracks and stuff the old ding-dong the belfrey belt.'

At near three-hundred pages, it's not what you'd call light reading, but is rewarding providing you hold on really tight, allowing the narrative to form through association with what's on the page - which is far from being the random gibberish that often passes for experimental prose these days. That being said, this all depends on whether you feel inclined to make the effort. I managed for just long enough to detect what felt like genuine philosophical depth - despite the frequent references to Ouspensky and Gurdjieff - but it became a bit joyless after a while.

Barefoot in the Head seems to be the real thing - as distinct from the usual Austin Powers level approximations of that decade - and accordingly fixates on soap powder advertising as the harbinger of Ragnarok, but it's a demanding read and probably worked better in more easily digested instalments in New Worlds magazine.